The purpose of this article is to examine the causes and consequences of the ‘forest death’ controversy that swept West Germany in the 1980s, focusing on three axes: media, politics, and civil society. In the fall of 1981, ‘forest death’, which was triggered by the serialized articles in the Spiegel, refers to the phenomenon in which trees in forests in Central Europe die due to acid rain. ‘Forest death’ controversy produced the achievement of the Green Party entering the parliament in 1983 in West German politics, and served as a decisive opportunity for the Helmut Kohl government to introduce eco-friendly policies. It also brought about a change in the direction of the environmental movement in West Germany in the 1980s, and awakened citizens’ environmental consciousness on a everyday life. The debate over the ‘forest death’ united Germans beyond political faction, generation, and gender, and can be regarded as an important driving force that facilitated the transition to the ‘age of ecology’.